Fingersmith
by A-Fragment-Of-Reality
Summary: Natsuki Kuga, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves – fingersmiths. But unbeknown to Natsuki her fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in gloomy secluded mansion many miles away. Based on Sarah Waters novel Fingersmith.


**Fingersmith**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai Hime/Otome or Fingersmith.**

**Chapter 1- Petty Thieves part 1**

A small hooded figure came skidding to a halt. Dead ahead was a barricade of Windbloom's most formidable police force- The Otome. Frantically darting their head from side to side the figure tried to find another way across the bridge. The light from the moon shinned on a pair of silvery green eyes as they caught sight of what seemed like a dark alleyway.

The figure quickly, and rather silently considering the snow had turned to sleet, ran towards the dark alley to see that it was nothing more but a pathway to a cellar. It wasn't the ticket they had hoped for but it would do for now. Leaning their back against the frozen wall, the figure closed their eyes. They positioned their body so it was hidden in the shadows but could still see the Otome and the road they had come down.

It was hard to hear over the heavy breaths that emitted from their covered lips but with a bit of straining, they could faintly make out the words being yelled: "Don't let that fucker get away!"

There was nothing worse than crossing paths with the people of the slums. They ruled the underworld and influenced everything that happened on the service. They knew the streets of Windbloom like the back of their own hands, and if something was up they'd be the first to know.

However it seemed like luck was on our hooded figure's side as the angry mob of slums men came running down the path, straight into the Otome's barricade. The leader of the mob yelled for his men to scatter and they all zoomed off into different directions, the Otome trailing close behind. The figure didn't move from their position for a few good minutes to make sure the coast was clear before leaving.

Stepping out into the moon light, the small figure pulled down their hood and neck warmer to reveal a girl, approximately 8 years old with midnight blue tresses. The profile of her face was perfectly symmetrical; she had profound cheekbones despite having baby cheeks and full rose-pink lips. She was especially pretty for a child of the streets. There was no doubt it. This girl was going to grow into a very attractive woman!

The girl gazed down and began to fiddle with a pouch that hung around her waist. Opening it she pulled out a tear shaped diamond the size of her fist. _**The Ice Silver Crystal **_the girl thought as she looked at it in awe. She couldn't believe she had managed to make it out of the castle alive let alone leave with one of the two legendary crystals.

**Flashback**

The people of Windbloom were sound asleep in their beds. The only things that showed signs of life was the wind playing chase with the snow and a small girl perched at the top of a watchtower. She scaled the layout of the castle walls and mapped the route she would take to and fro along with the guards shift patterns.

Based off her observations, she would have exactly 2 minutes to infiltrate the outer ward of the castle before the next set of guards made their rounds. In that time she would have to climb the outer walls, which she knew she could do with relative ease, and take refuge in one of the servant's quarters before she could make her way into the inner ward which was virtually impenetrable.

The only way into the inner ward (the actual castle) besides the door was to climb up into one of the towers and make her way down. This would prove more difficult as there were at least 2 guards at all times and not much room to move around. However, she had a few tricks up her sleeve to handle that.

One problem that did faze the girl was the fact that once she got inside she would have to rely on her own intuition to get her to the Royal Treasury. She believed it somewhere near the Master's bed chamber and throne room but she had no idea where they were located.

A feeling of excitement and fear embraced the girl as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She pulled her neck warmer over her mouth to rid her breath of colour as well as her hood. _**It's now or never**_, she thought as she made her way down the abandoned watchtower.

Upon reaching the bottom, she noticed the snow no longer solidified on the ground but melted into sleet. A small smile found a way to her lips. _**Thank the gods, now no one can follow my footprints**_. Breaking into a sprint, the crisp air slightly froze the back of her throat and lungs causing the girl a little discomfort.

She shook her head and focused on counting the seconds that passed, she would allow nothing to break her concentration. One slip they'd have her head. She made a right after approximately 1200 feet and saw the castle walls straight ahead. She slowed to a stop and gripped two protruding rocks of the wall, her right hand above her head and her left at her chest, as she readied herself to climb it.

From here previous observations, she calculated that the wall was roughly 35 feet tall. _**118,119,120**_. Placing her right foot into a crook, she pushed off and began to climb; again counting as she did so. Her arms moved at lightning speed but it was too quick for her legs to keep up, her foot slipped from its foothold and her body slammed against the wall. She stifled a groan and continued at a slower pace.

After 78 seconds she reached the top of the wall. She peeked over just to check no guards were around and flipped her body over the wall. Once she was 15 feet from the ground she dropped and rolled, breaking the fall. She had 13 seconds to reach cover from one of the servant's quarters but thanks to her careful planning one resided just to the right of her. She stayed close to the wall, hiding in its shadow. Lowering her body onto the sleeted ground, she instantly found her temperature drop. Damn it was cold.

Doing the best impression of an army crawl she could muster, she slipped under the servant's quarter and waited. As if on cue, the two guards rounded the corner. They wore their usual woollen gambesons (Padding) under their chainmail, which covered them from head to torso, along with a sleeveless red tunic embroidered with their master's insignia of a golden heron. A long sword stationed at their hip. The girl wondered why they didn't have any chainmail covering their legs but she'd soon find out the answer.

Her body, now soaked from the sleet and mud, shivered as if she was a dog shaking its fur free of water. Her teeth involuntary chattered.

"What was that?"

The girl instantly placed a hand over her covered mouth and clamped her eyes shut.

"Sorry, that was me. You might want to hold your breath" The second guard laughed as he said it.

"Ha ha, you haven't changed a bit"

Even after the guards were out of sight, the wind still carried their laughter. The girl took a few seconds to recollect her thoughts and pulled herself out from her hiding place. She now had 2 minutes to climb up the 60 foot tower.

6 minutes later, the girl had managed to successfully infiltrate the castle. She took down the two tower guards with ease using the sleeping darts she stole... borrowed from her carer, Miss Maria, and made her way down the tower. It took all her strength to push open the huge wooden door that stood between her and the innards of the castle. Her eyes widened as they took in her surroundings.

She was standing in the grand hall and boy was it grand. The girl had never seen such lavishness in all her eight years. The wooden floor glimmered in the fire light; its surface must have been polished like it was a precious pearl. To the left of her were five tables: one huge thick table that ran from one side to the other horizontally and four other tables running vertically. She guessed the large on was for the master of the castle. She stood in a massive space where she suspected entertainment and dance took place.

The walls were covered in red and gold tapestries with the heron insignia along with a fireplace on every wall. In between each tapestry were stained glass windows. They appeared to tell the tale of The Tragic Maiden, a young woman who was torn between her love and her dream.

She looked up at what seemed like an never-ending roof. It was high, almost as tall as the towers, and pointed. A series of thick parallel wooden arches, painted black, supported the roof. And in turn the arches were held up by corbels, which were stone outcroppings that the wooden arches could sit on.

She brought her gaze back down and noticed there were another two doors, one opposite and the other to her left. Crap, which one? After a few minutes of deliberation, girl decided to take the one in front simply because it was closer.

Luckily it was the right one. If she was a few years older it would have been common sense to have picked that door simply because it was opposite the tower. If there was ever an attack on the castle the guards could quickly run down the tower, straight across the great hall, into the corridor which lead to the Master's bedchamber, throne room and the royal treasury.

Just as she was about to open the door she felt the ground quake a little, followed by the sound of at least 6 dozen steel clad soldiers running though the corridor.

"They're trying to steal the Ice Silver Crystal! Stop them at all cost!"

"Yes sir!" called the rest of the soldiers in unison.

"You four, join the other two guarding the royal treasury!"

"Sir!"

"All royal knights follow me; the rest of you spread out and search the castle. Kill on sight!"

The girl's lungs constricted and her breathing became fast and shallow. No matter how hard she tried to move her limbs refused to listen. Fear had taken over all her instincts to run. Tears of frustration and fear crept down her face, absorbed by the neck warmer she wore over her nose. She was too young to die; she still had so much to do. Her attention fixed on the sound of the door handle turning. The door slowly swung open. It's all over.

The girl's eyes were clamped tightly shut, standing out in the open before the opening door. She was expecting shouts from the guards telling the others they had found the culprit. But to her surprise nothing came. She un-shut her eyes to find them looking into a pair of violet. They belonged to a girl with bright short orange hair. Confusion was evident on her face.

"Ano... Who are you?" the carrot top asked as she tilted her head to the side.

Our hooded thief could only muster a blink. She was so sure her life was going to come to a gruesome end, it felt almost surreal that she was still alive. The gods really must be on her side. When the carrot-top didn't get a reply she took it upon herself to ask more questions.

"Are you the new gardener's helper? He told me you would be coming tonight"

Perfect

"Yeah, that's me" she tried to keep her voice as low as possible; it was rare to have a female gardener. The only time women worked in the garden was if they were the gardener's wife. The carrot-top took this opportunity to scope the 'young boy' in front of her. He wore baggy brown leggings, a beige tunic and a black hooded cloak that fastened at the shoulders with a plain silver 'S' broach. His face was completely covered save his eyes. They were beautiful rich emerald colour.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mai, Tokiha Mai"

"Kaiji Sakomizu, Likewise"

"How comes you're in the grand hall?"

Lifting a hand, she started to scratch the back of her head "Erm... Well considering I live here now, I thought I'd have a look around"

"Oh well that makes sense. " She offered the 'boy' a smile "I would give you a tour but the guards have put the place on lockdown. Apparently people from the slums are trying to steal Master Greer's Ice Silver Crystal; they've broken through the outer wall already. You better get back to your living quarters before they suspect you."

"So that's why they've upped security. Thanks for the heads up"

"I'll give you a tour tomor..." Mai's words became lost as screams of pain filled the grand hall. Mai's smiling face dropped. The clashing of swords grew closer as the seconds past. The girl grabbed Mai's hand and dragged her towards the door on the far left. She threw the door open and pushed her inside.

"Hide and don't come out until you hear someone call for you!"

"Wait! What about..." Mai never got to finish her sentence as the girl slammed the door shut.

**A/N:**

**This story is based of Sarah Water's Fingersmith, if you've read or watched the T.V adaption you'll know roughly what's going to happen but I will add a few Mai Hime twist of my own to make it more orignal ^^**

**Hopefully you enjoyed this and sorry for any mistakes. I did do a quick check but knowing me I've left some some in there.**

**Please review if you have the chance!**

**Oh and I'll just mention here that I'm planning to get the next chapter out some time next week if you like it, if not I'll probably just drop it.**


End file.
